Pain Doesn't Exist
by Sno-WhiteQueen007
Summary: She thinks she's falling in love with him. He KNOWS it. When he's with her, the word "pain" doesn't exist. Henry's POV of his first night with Teddy, after the events of 7x22, when she admits she's falling in love with her husband. Rated M for mature content. Proceed with caution.


"…I think I'm falling in love with you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. After all this time of denying the possibility of love between us, Teddy Altman, the woman who married me to give me insurance and save my life, had finally given in. She stood before me in the middle of my hospital room, her arms wrapped around me tightly, her green eyes lost within my own. The space between us was awfully small. My lips still tingled with the kiss she'd just offered me only seconds ago. Could this be real? For the majority of the day, I thought she was leaving me to be with Andrew Perkins, the trauma knight-in-shining-armor/rock star. Now that she was here with me, I didn't know whether or not this was really happening. I really, _really_ hoped I wasn't dreaming or on morphine, because I had always wanted this to happen. I was so caught off guard by her words, though, that I was completely blank. I found the space closing quicker than I could stop it, a smile pulling at the corners of my lips; I need to be sure that I wasn't imagining this. Teddy's lips curved upwards, too, her eyelids fluttering closed. My hands found her hips and rested there. Her lips pressed to mine, and I entered Heaven, yet again. I knew I would never grow tired of that. Before any more time could pass, I pulled away, only to say one thing to her.

"It's about damn time," I murmured.

"I know," she rolled her eyes with a giggle. She pulled me closer so that she could kiss me again.

The kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity, yet it really had been about two minutes. Whatever, it was a long kiss. When we came apart, we both fought to catch our breath. Teddy pulled me into a hug, which I accepted gratefully. I took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent as I held her close. _She is mine,_ I repeated to myself. _She is mine._

"I'm sorry," her voice broke my thought process.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

She came back so that she could hold a steady gaze with me. "I'm sorry it took me so long," she said with a small smile, almost guilty-looking. I cupped her face gently.

"Hey," I whispered. "Don't apologize. All that matters to me now is that I have you."

She smiled again. "How does it feel that _you're_ the 'damn knight on a horse' rather than Andrew?"

I was going to answer her until the name of the trauma guy reached my ears. By then, a smirk pulled at one corner of my mouth. "Raaaaaahhhh," I imitated the sound of an adoring crowd when she said Andrew's name, much like earlier that day, when I had been annoyed. When she glared at me (jokingly, of course), I couldn't help but laugh. "It feels pretty damn good, if I may say so myself."

Teddy's orbs were still remorseful upon thinking about almost leaving me, and she looked away from mine for a moment, but I tugged gently on her chin to bring her back to a deep stare. She couldn't look away as I held her like this. For a moment, I couldn't speak. My mind was preoccupied, taking in her gorgeous features and how close she was to me. From her green orbs that almost matched the color of my own, to the golden tresses that fell to her shoulder blades, everything about her was stunning. I'd never gotten but so close to her before, so being like this, being _this_ close to such a beautiful woman, was like a gift. Hell, her name is Theodora; it means "God's gift" for crying out loud! Just her presence in my life had been enough of a gift. There were almost no words that could describe how overjoyed I was. This wasn't "just a good story" anymore; it was far more than that now.

There came a voice calling Teddy's name after a few minutes of just holding her in my arms. I knew that voice—it was Arizona Robbins, Teddy's closest friend, who was also a pediatric surgeon. She came into the room, not paying attention to us at first. "Hey, Henry have you seen—" she stopped short when her eyes locked upon the two of us in the center of the room. Teddy whipped around when she heard her friend's voice and blushed instantly. It didn't take but two seconds for the peds surgeon to realize what was going on.

"Sorry," she smirked knowingly. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything." She locked eyes with Teddy, whose face, I'm sure, was growing redder by the minute. "When did this happen?"

"A few minutes ago, actually," I answered with a proud grin.

Arizona's half-smile grew into a full-on beam, eyeing Teddy with an expression that clearly stated 'I told you so," and she giggled. "I knew it was gonna happen. What did I tell you, Teddy?"

Teddy glared and rolled her eyes, but she laughed a second later. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Arizona… You were right."

"I'm sorry," the blonde cupped a hand behind her ear. "I couldn't hear you. What was that?"

"You were right, Arizona," my wife sighed, trying to be serious. She was grinning nonetheless. "I know, I should have listened in the first place. Happy?"

The lighter blonde nodded. "Very much, yes. I'm happy for you guys! But anyway, I came by to tell you goodbye, since I thought you were heading for Germany… But now, I'm guessing that you aren't."

"Nope," Teddy shook her head. "I'm staying. No going to Germany for me."

"She chose the man with the chronic illness instead of the pro knight-in-shining-armor-on-a-white-horse," I chided. "Normally, I would question her choices in life, but this time, I'm not complaining."

"Good to hear," Arizona smiled brightly.

"He can't get over it, either," Teddy added, glancing up at me. What could I say? She was damn right on that one.

Sooner or later, the two women parted ways, knowing they'd see each other again soon. Arizona left the room with a spring in her step, and I most likely knew why… probably since I was just as happy as she was. When she was gone, Teddy turned back around to face me, arms snaking around me like before. I could tell she was deep in thought, until she met my gaze again. "You know what? I think I'm gonna take the day off tomorrow. I'd like to spend the day with my husband."

At that, my heart leaped. It used to be a dream to spend the day with her, no appointments or other distractions to get in the way. It was becoming more of a reality now, and I was praying hard that I wasn't just seeing or hearing things. This better be real. Now that the day had come to an end for her, and since she mentioned spending the day with me, I wanted nothing more than to go home and take her with me.

Fortunately for me, I got to go home that night. Thank God, I thought, for I wasn't sure how long I could wait now that Teddy had told me she was in love with me. I just wanted to be with her, without distractions, like that damn pager of hers. Hell, I had an actual wife, not just an insurance-provider, who wouldn't want to celebrate that. I wanted her, to hold her as close as possible in my arms, skin on skin, without anything to worry or stop us. We decided that Teddy should come home with me, since my apartment had been the place she'd gone after her failed dates. We'd shared some good food there, and plenty of laughs. My house had more memories, and, I'll admit, I had no idea how to get to Teddy's apartment.

When we got home, Teddy left the truck and began walking toward the entrance of the complex. But I had another idea in mind. I ran toward her, barely giving her enough time to turn around and brace herself for the moment I scooped her up and into my arms. I carried her like a bride, which was appropriate, I believed, since it _technically_ was the first night of our "proper" married life. Teddy shrieked when the ground disappeared from beneath her feet, but the noise soon turned into a laugh once she was settled in my hold. She wrapped her arms around my neck and shoulders for support, and she gazed at me with eyes that danced with her smile. God, that smile was gorgeous. She held it the whole way up to the apartment, where I put her down once inside the threshold of my front door and turned to lock it behind us.

I headed for the kitchen area, Teddy following close behind. She took a seat at the small bar counter and watched as I pulled out two glasses and the bottle of red wine I had tucked in the corner not too long ago. I'd been saving it, in hopes that she would have yet another failed date and need some comfort. But ever since Mr. Trauma Knight came along, she had stopped visiting. Now, though, the time had come, and I could finally open the bottle and pour her and myself a small amount of the red liquid into each glass. I handed one glass to her, and we clinked them together before taking a sip. She pulled hers away from her lips, revealing that gorgeous smile again.

"I really needed that," she murmured. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I nodded. I found myself staring again, staring at every feature of her face in awe. She caught me in this trance, but rather than speaking, she rose from her chair, glass still in her hand, and she walked slowly over to me. Before I could react, she wrapped her free arm around me and planted a small kiss on my cheek before she rested her head on my shoulder. I held her close to me, and I even kissed the top of her head in return. We just stood there in silence together, rocking each other in the middle of my kitchen, and I couldn't get over myself. I couldn't believe I finally had her.

She glanced up at me with those incredible green eyes again, a small smile curving up at the edges of her mouth, and she leaned in, closing the space between us quicker than I had time to think. The kiss was heavenly, and sweet, absolutely amazing. It wasn't like the kiss we shared in my hospital room, though. This was hungrier than that, more eager than that, but it was good all the same. I reached toward the counter I stood near and put my glass there, Teddy doing the same, for we both realized that this would be difficult with just one free hand. Teddy's arms reached around my neck to pull me deeper into the kiss, her tongue begging for entry. My hands had a mind of their own; they explored the curves of her body, even slipping beneath the fabric of her shirt to get a feel of her skin. When my fingers grazed the patch of skin just above the hem of her jeans, she shivered, and I couldn't help but laugh. She smirked and pressed her forehead against my own.

"What's so funny?" she breathed.

My response was a gentle kiss. "You're so beautiful," I whispered. Then, I kissed her again, harder this time, and began trailing kisses down her jawline. She moaned quietly as I did so. I knew this was going to be one of the best nights of my life, just by hearing her, seeing her swept away by my touch. Where has she been all my life?

Suddenly, she pulled away, looking deep into my gaze. At first, I thought something was wrong, but upon seeing the sweet look on her face, I thought otherwise. She took a deep breath as her hand reached up to stroke the side of my face softly. "What do you say we take this somewhere else?" her tone was seductive, yet light and airy. This put another smirk on my face, as I knew exactly what she meant. And yet, I had a thought.

"Hon, are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, I'm enjoying myself—like, really enjoying myself. I'm just making sure you're comfortable with this. Because if you're not, believe me, Teddy, I will not pressure you into anything—"

That was when she placed a single finger over my lips to silence me. "Henry, it's okay. I want this. I want this because I'm really enjoying myself, too." She snaked her arms around my neck, kissing me once again. A moan left my throat, and I let my hands pull her in, pressing her body against mine. This woman was sending me on cloud nine every moment our bodies touched, every time she laid her lips on mine. God, I had always wanted this. I still couldn't believe this was happening. If this was all a dream, I was going to be pissed.

Suddenly, a fire kindled within me, and I deepened the kiss Teddy first offered. I could feel her arms slide from around my neck to wrap her arms around my waist, pulling me into her, much like what I did a second ago. My own hands roamed her body, gliding down her back and to her thighs. I was careful, though. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable whatsoever. This was our night. I wanted it to be perfect. My lips kissed their way down the line of her jaw before they attached themselves to her neck. She threw her head back, her neck craning to make it easier for my tongue to explore. She sighed every time she exhaled, a noise I enjoyed hearing, because it meant she was enjoying herself. And boy, could I tell it was true. Her hands, their hypnotizing touch, they were running my mind absolutely blank.

Her hands couldn't stay in one place, either. I could feel her fingers slip beneath my shirt so her hands could run over the skin of my back. Her nails gently trailed into my skin, sending chills down my spine. God, this woman would torture me, I could sense it. S

Where had this woman been all my life? I never considered myself a lucky man. I mean, living with a disease that could kill me at any moment isn't something any ordinary person would consider lucky. But ever since Teddy entered my life, I've noticed a change. And now that I can call her not only my wife, but also my _loving_ wife, my world has been made whole. I am the luckiest guy alive.

I could feel her smiling through the kisses, just as she nibbled at my bottom lip. Her tongue was begging for entry, which I allowed. Our tongues clashed together in some sort of battle, and it was glorious. It intensified the flame within us both, never to stop. I walked her backward, blindly feeling around for the wall to keep balance. But when I did find it, I ended up pressing her back against it. I couldn't help myself by now; the pleasure had built up too much for me to stop. My hands fumbled with the zipper of her jacket, and I made sure to move slowly as I pulled it down. Teddy squirmed with obvious anticipation, and I couldn't help but smile. She even helped me out by jerking her arms and shoulders to get the clothing to slip from her arms and drop to the floor. But still, she had too many clothes on her.

When I went to work with her shirt, Teddy suddenly pushed me back a little, and for a moment, I felt as if I had moved too fast. But upon seeing the smirk, the seductive look in her eyes, the way she bit her bottom lip, and where her hands were, I eased up. She had a hold of her shirt at the bottom hem, gripping it tightly. Her eyes never left mine, even when she yanked up on her shirt and pulled of off. God knows where it went after she tossed it aside, because I was too busy focusing on her, and the way she worked me so well. She returned to my lips, crashing them against mine. I allowed a hand to reach behind her, feeling for the clasp of her bra. It took me awhile, but I managed to unhook the piece of fabric. The straps loosened and began to slide down off her shoulders. She let gravity do its job, and there was no longer anything left to cover her upper body. I marveled at her bare breasts for only a few moments before I tended to them, kissing and suckling on one while pawing at the other. Teddy threw her head back and pulled her fingers through my hair. I was doing a pretty good job. With my free hand, I roamed her lower body, massaging her lower back before sliding around the curve of her butt to find the inside of her thigh. I felt her tense up, but I wasn't worried, because the moan that left her was a pleasured one. Soon, I left her thigh and took hold of the fabric of her jeans. My knuckles grazed the skin below her navel, and she shuddered and groaned loudly. Her breathing was heavy, as well as mine, and we both shared a significant amount of heat. All that, and I hadn't even taken her. I was surprised by how much control I had of myself. Any less, and I would have already taken her, right then and there. But I guessed that since it was the first night, we may as well savor the moment, make it last.

Before anything else, I retracted both my hands, and my mouth made a satisfying _puck_ when I released her breast. After a few seconds of exploring her thighs again, I pulled upwards on her hamstrings and hoisted her up into my arms. Her chest was pressed against me, and I had to fight the urge to suck on her again. As I carried her to the bedroom, I continued to press my mouth to hers over and over, occasionally kissing her jawline and neck. We made it into the darkness of the room, and I pinned her down onto my bed so I could work her with my mouth. I kissed her neck, her collarbone, her chest, and her breasts, all while her hands did their own work by taking off my own shirt and jacket. We both knew that what we really wanted off, though, just happened to be all that was left. Teddy took off her pants without any hesitation, and right after she tossed them aside, her fingers latched onto my jeans and struggled to get them off. I placed my hands atop hers to help, and before long, my pants had been thrown somewhere across the room. I knew she was eyeing the bulge in my boxers, just as I was staring at the wet patch on her underwear. It took a whole lot not to lose control here. Before I could do anything, her hands found the waistband of my boxers and slowly pulled them down, my erection breaking free and in full view. She marveled at my length for a few moments, just before I attached my lips to her neck. Her fingers pull through my messy hair, and she squirmed uncontrollably, the anticipation starting to get the best of her. She moved even more as I nibbled gently on her ear lobe, kissing my way down to her chest again. I pushed her past her breaking point by then; she pushed me back and grasped the line of her lace underwear. I took her wrists, though, making her look me in the eyes, but she didn't need any other words from me. She nodded with a smile, biting her lip, her tongue darting out to trace the line of her upper lip. She was just _begging_ me to kiss her again, to which I happily obliged. My hands found hers and pulled down, taking the underwear with us. Before long, it, too, was tossed to the side, joining the rest of our clothes on the floor. We were both naked and in dire need of each other.

A grunt left the confines of my throat when I felt Teddy's hand slide down my stomach and slip around my member. In return, I let my fingers explore the inside of her thighs. Her response was a hiss of pleasure in my ear, and she let her legs wrap around my waist. Two fingers slid into her easily, and by the way she groaned loudly, I knew I was hitting the right spot. "Oh, God," she moaned. " _Oh,_ my _God,_ Henry!" A smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth when I heard this. She was definitely enjoying this. Who could blame her, though? I finally had the woman of my dreams. I was going to treat her like a damn queen. I continued to curl and uncurl my fingers as they stroked her, getting soaked as I kept going. Her groans soon turned into near-screams as I brought her closer to the edge. The way she had her hand stroking my length in return was giving me the same effect. But I knew this wasn't the way I wanted to _really_ give her pleasure. I retracted my fingers and had to move her hand from me, bringing it above her head and gently holding it there. Then, I grabbed my member and guided it towards her entrance. I pushed into her gently, leaving only the head in at first so she could adjust. She hissed in my ear, moaning pleasurably, and she eagerly used her legs to pull me in deeper. Let's be honest; I was just as eager as she was, maybe more. I'd been waiting for this moment since the day she offered to marry me.

It wasn't long before we fell into rhythm, rolling our hips against each other and meeting back in the middle again. Teddy's nails dug into the skin of my back with every thrust, her breathing synchronized with mine. I kissed her up and down her upper body, savoring every last inch of skin possible. Her skin was so beautiful… everything about her was beautiful, who was I kidding? As I continued to thrust into her, I felt the fire within my stomach grow significantly. I was getting closer to the edge, and it would be any moment now. Teddy had a near-scream on the edge of every sigh that escaped her lips. She was close, too. Sooner or later, I ended up shouting her name every time my pelvis met hers. Pressed against her chest, I could feel her heart, beating as quickly as mine. Her muscles were starting to contract around my length, her nails still digging into me. I captured her lips, which were swollen from all the kissing and biting, silencing her groans. This was everything I had ever imagined, and it was only going to get better. Sparks flew within my brain, just as I felt an immense heat shooting up my member. I shouted her name into the darkness, her walls clamping around me, my length involuntarily shuddering inside her. Warmth filled her to her brim, rendering us both completely blank and speechless. Teddy screamed into the darkness of the bedroom as she bucked wildly beneath me, and my own groan followed suit. I continued to roll my hips, riding this out as long as I possibly could.

Our paces finally slowed, both our mouths curved into satisfied smiles as we remained there for a while, unified as one. As we fought to catch our breaths, Teddy's green eyes danced as she locked gazes with me, keeping it that way for a long time. I pulled out of her after a while, but settled myself beside her, staying close to her, holding her in silence. Sooner or later we decided to slip beneath the covers, where she positioned herself against me, resting her head atop my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.

"Wow," I sighed into the darkness. "That was…" I couldn't even find the proper word to describe it.

"…Earth-shattering," Teddy finished my thought. That seemed to be her favorite adjective.

"Yeah," I nodded, thinking that maybe that _was_ the only way to describe it. I chuckled a bit. "Earth-shattering."

This woman… All this time, I thought she was intangible, something for me to only gaze upon and wish I could have, yet could not. I had thought for the longest time, she belonged to anyone except me. Whenever she would hold my hand as my friend after a surgery, I would feel like I'd committed a crime, since she told me she'd never feel the same way. Even though those words would always burn like a white-hot wire in my heart, worse pain than any my disease could ever give me, I pretended it didn't bother me, for her sake. But after all that time, unable to touch her, she was here, in my bed, in my arms, her skin against mine. I no longer had to mask my love for her. I could, at long last, love and adore Teddy Altman as my _true_ wife.

We lay there in silence, our skin warm against one another's. Teddy absentmindedly twirled her finger through the hair on my chest. My own fingers played with her golden tresses that fell from her head, but I later moved to her skin on her back, tracing gently the words "I love you" over and over again. Teddy's eyes had become heavy from exhaustion; I could see her trying to keep them open. A yawn escaped her soon after, and a gentle smile played on my lips. What I didn't notice—at least until Teddy said something—was the small chuckle that slipped from my throat.

"What's so funny?" her sweet voice broke my train of thought. Glancing down, I caught her green eyes staring at me.

I wanted to pretend I wasn't laughing, but there was really no point. I smiled. "Oh, nothing… It's just that my wife seems to be tired."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "Long day of telling people their family members are dead"

"But ended on a high note, right?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," Teddy nodded. "I realized that I was in love with a man today. And I cannot be happier to be here with him right now."

My heart lifted at her words. I knew that feeling would never go away. Even if time wore away at material values, I would never cease to love her. I craned my neck to kiss her head softly. "Glad to hear it. Now, sleep, Theodora. I love you."

I could tell Teddy had been taken aback by the sound of her real name spilling from my mouth, because she hesitated in the quiet of the room. I didn't regret calling her that. Theodora had always struck me as a gorgeous name, fit for a gorgeous woman. I would never understand why she hated it. Nevertheless, I expected her to give me a playful jab and tell me not to call her that, but she never did. Instead, she let out a deep sigh and snuggled closer to me. "I love you, too, Henry," she whispered. "More than anything in the world."

As the two of us drifted off, her words danced in my head nonstop. I never thought I would ever hear those words come out of her mouth. I really, _really_ hoped I wasn't going to wake up tomorrow to find it had all been a dream. I was on cloud nine with Teddy. As cliché as it may sound, she made my life whole and complete that day, starting with that one kiss, which replayed in my head as sleep finally took over me. Throughout the night, all I dreamt of was Teddy, and moments we've had before, as well as possibilities of the future (which were now all real possibilities). Everything was starting to finally look up.

And for the first time in my life, I had completely forgotten what the word "pain" meant. VHL seemed to no longer exist when Teddy was with me. This was surely becoming more than just a good story.


End file.
